Loyalty, Honor, and a Willing Heart

Chapter 20 - An Unexpected Help

When the deer begun to jump over the river, the brothers were still able to pull themselves to the bank, but the last, the one Lily shot, got wild and jumped somewhat to the side of the path, Bombur got scared and unbalanced himself. Bofur was unable to steady himself and his brother, and almost fell into the river too. Thankfully the red bearded dwarf was close to the bank, and it was, in a relative way, easy to fish him out. He didn’t drown, as all his fat made him float, but was sound asleep when they managed to get him on dry ground.

“What will we do now?” Was Bofur’s desperate cry. “Wake up, brother, wake up!” He shook Bombur, slapped him lightly in the face, to no result.

“It is all my fault! If I hadn’t shot that deer it would not jump so queer and unbalanced you both!”

Lily was almost crying out of guilt.

“Why did you shot in first place?”

Thorin was not gentle at her, worried as he was and with another problem to deal with now.

“I am sorry, Thorin, I was just hungry! I thought there was so much meat we would all have a decent meal, I didn’t want to do anything wrong!”

She closed her eyes, but no tear fell from them, as they were all dehydrated so far. He shook his head, trying to recompose himself.

“You meant good, but we must think clearly! Do not waste any more arrows unless I tell you so.” She nodded. He turned back to the Company. “What is done, is done. We must take turns carrying Bombur, none of us will ever be left behind.”

And saying so he himself took Bombur’s left arm and signaled to Fili and Kili to help him and Bofur.

If the track through Mirkwood had been disgusting up to this time, from then on it became terrible. Thirst, hunger, worry, and now a heavy load. The carriers changed places once and then, but no one was in state to hold on for long. Thorin ordered a stop when the little light they had began to fade. They should at least rest, as there was no more water nor food, and in the complete darkness of night they could stumble out of the track, and then be lost forever. Lily was gloomy, out of hunger and guilt, when Iris came close to her.

“Hey, sis, cheer up.”

“How can I possibly cheer up, Iris? Thorin is still mad at me, Bombur is still fast asleep, and we are all still hungry.”

“Sure. So, time for dessert.”

“What?”

“Dessert! Where did you hide the chocolate? Chocolate always cheers you up, maybe it works for the others too.”

“Mahal, I forgot the chocolate!”

Lily took off her cloak and unsewed its liner open with her switchblade. Iris thought it was funny how Lily was using Khuzdul words like if she were born talking it. “When Aunty told me to hide it, I thought that if it were easy to get I would fall into temptation and eat them before the right time. If there is one right time for chocolate, it is now!”

The dwarf-lass took out handfuls of chocolate bars. Lily was an assumed chocoholic and had bought chocolate to last her and her family the whole LARP camping with a good safety margin. She and her sister took them and began to hand them out to everyone.

“What is this?” Asked suspicious Dwalin.

“Emergency food. Not enough to quench hunger, but it will give us strength to endure a little more.” Lily handled the last two bars to Bofur and spoke quietly to him. “Keep one for when your brother wakes up.”

“Thank you. And,” He touched the back of her hand with his fingers. “I know it was not your fault, lady Lily.”

She lowered her eyes.